Indian Goverment Bans Import Of Mobile Phones Without IMEI Number

Indian government has banned the import of mobile phones without IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number. IMEI number is used to uniquely identify a mobile device. It corresponds to SSN or PAN number used to identify people.This move will majorly impact Chinese and Taiwanese companies whose phones flooded Indian market. The penetration of such mobile phones can be judged from the fact that there are more than 25 million phones present in India without an IMEI number.
IMEI number uniquely identifies a mobile device. It can be used to track the mobile like in which area the mobile is present right now and can also to help in billing and other services. It can be helpful in various life saving operations. With the help of IMEI number operators can pin point a mobile device with in one km of radius. Many cases of missing people and kidnaps have been solved with the help of mobile phones.
If you already posses a mobile without an IMEI number you can get an IMEI number assigned from around 1600 outlets that Cellular Operators Association of India is opening in tie up with Mobile Standard Alliance of India. The users who don’t have IMEI number assigned to mobile phones will be denied service by operators from June 30.